Germany Moves to Ban New Combustion Engines Beginning 2030

Touch the Soil News #511

While debates over the climate change go on, no one argues that agriculture, which covers 1/3 of the global land mass, is a sitting duck when it comes to weather or any climate anomaly. Climate stability is at the core of the world’s food basket.

In a stunning move, Germany’s Federal Council (the Bundesrat) voted to approve a ban on new combustion engine vehicles beginning in 2030. This federal body comprised of representatives from Germany’s 16 individual states explains that what is necessary to comply with the agreements set forth in the Paris Climate Agreement. The Bundesrat is similar in power and function to the U.S. Senate.

The passage of this mandate is still subject to the lower legislative body in Germany called the Bundestag.

Our planet has become small relative to the human footprint – farming, cities, roads and deforestation. It is hard to imagine there is no effect every morning when folks fire up the 1.3 billion cars on the world’s roads. Not to mention the effect of the blacktop heat that comes from all the roads the cars use.

Logo of the German Bundesrat. Similar in function to the U.S. Senate, it is the world’s first legislative body to seek prohibition of new cars with internal combustion engines starting 2030.

On other news, there are now well over 1 million cars in the world that run totally or partially on batteries charged with plug-in technology. Automakers are on track to sell almost 700,000 plug-in type cars in 2016 (440,000 through August so far).

One third of the world’s land mass – dedicated to food crops and pasture for livestock – equals about 12.2 billion acres. This amount of acreage is equivalent to a farm that is 1,000 miles wide and 19,000 miles long. There are no solutions to protect crops, pasture and livestock on this vast area from weather changes and volatilities.

Following is a short video clip on Germany’s foray into zero emissions cars.